Jamal Adams’ season is over.
The Minnesota Vikings linebacker, who was carted off in their preseason opener on Saturday, sustained a season-ending knee injury, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Specifics of the knee injury are not yet known, though Adams won’t be back on the field now until 2027.
Adams only played 11 snaps in the Vikings’ 13-10 win over the New York Giants. He went down with a non-contact injury while trying to defend what ended up being a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jaxson Dart to Malachi Fields in the second quarter. Adams fell in the middle of the field, and had to be carted off.
Non-contact injury for Jamal Adams (32) on NYG’s cement turf. Brutal. He was going to contribute heavily to this defense. pic.twitter.com/fE0fcxSJF1
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) August 15, 2026
“You feel his passion every single day. Certainly felt it, spent a few moments with him before they took him in,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said just after halftime of that preseason contest. “You’re just crushed for him. The role that he was kind of paving for himself, and then just having a personality, experience, toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time. We’re going to miss him.”
The Vikings struck a deal to land Adams ahead of training camp last month. He appeared in 17 games last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and recorded 45 total tackles and a sack.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.